We Have To Stop Lying (Especially To Ourselves)

It frequently fascinates me as much as it irks me. It’s sort of awe-inspiring that human beings can possess such amazing capacity to navigate through the ambiguity of doublespeak, such that the complex systems that govern our everyday lives don’t, in fact, crash and burn to the ground like a scene in some post-apocalyptic film. At the same time, it irks me that it robs us of so much sincerity and makes things so complicated. I wonder what we gain from avoiding saying those words that perhaps need to be said to make a point clear, a feeling acknowledged. Who are we trying to protect here? The person on the receiving end? Or our own undeserving egos?

To start, what if we actually said how we felt the moment we’re asked that banal question “How are you?” “Not…